The Award, which is now in its fifth year, is given to recognise the breadth and vibrancy of British writing today. Fifteen books have been nominated, and eight of these will be awarded a prize. The winners will be announced at a party at Jerwood Space, London, on Thursday June 18th, 2015.

A MAN LIES DREAMING is published in the UK by Hodder Books. Here’s the synopsis…

Deep in the heart of history’s most infamous concentration camp, a man lies dreaming. His name is Shomer, and before the war he was a pulp fiction author. Now, to escape the brutal reality of life in Auschwitz, Shomer spends his nights imagining another world — a world where a disgraced former dictator now known only as Wolf ekes out a miserable existence as a low-rent PI in London’s grimiest streets.

An extraordinary story of revenge and redemption, A Man Lies Dreaming is the unforgettable testament to the power of imagination.

The novel has received some fantastic reviews, too. Here is just a small selection…

‘A shocking book as well as a rather brilliant one… A twisted masterpiece.’ — Guardian

‘Savagely funny… Those who enjoy laughter in the dark will relish Tidhar’s parade of mordant ironies… This novel is weird, upsetting, unmissable.’ 5* — Telegraph

‘Tidhar’s voice itself — at times humorous, at times grim but never frivolous and always taught and controlled… As with his previous novels, Tidhar knows how to say a great deal in very little. There is eloquence and gravitas in the sparselness and brevity of noir fiction when it is good, and Tidhar’s is quite incredible.’ — Tor.com

Hodder also published Lavie’s previous, critically-acclaimed novel, THE VIOLENT CENTURY — which is also published in the US by Thomas Dunne Books. Lavie is also the author of The Bookman Histories (Angry Robot) and the World Fantasy Award-winning OSAMA (Solaris). As mentioned earlier this week on the site, Lavie will be attending the Greenwich Literature Festival, as part of a panel on Science Ficiton and Fantasy — more details, here.